HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

   DAILY REPORT #2892

PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 06/12/01 - 0000Z (UTC) 06/13/01

Daily Status Report as of 164/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

    1.1 Completed WF/PC-2 8720 (Masses and Multiplicity of Nearby Free- 
floating Methane and L Dwarfs)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to observe 50 very-low-mass objects in the 
solar neighborhood with spectral types of L0 and later {including several 
dwarfs with Methane absorption bands in their atmospheres}.  These objects 
will be observed in two filter bands with the aim to identify close 
companions, measure their colors, and to obtain first epoch data of the 
newly discovered binaries.  The observations completed nominally.

    1.2 Completed WF/PC-2 8583 (Imaging Snapshots of Asteroids)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain images of the fifty largest main 
belt asteroids that have favorable apparitions during cycle 9.  The images 
will be searched for companion bodies, as well as mineralogical variegation 
on the resolved main bodies.  There were no reported problems.

    1.3 Completed Four Sets of WF/PC-2 8828 (Cycle 9 Supplemental Darks pt3/3)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain three dark frames every day to 
provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot 
pixels.  The proposal completed with no reported problems.

    1.4 Completed WF/PC-2 8592 (Pixel Microlensing of M87)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to undertake a pixel microlensing study of M87 
in order to: 1} probe the lower end of the M87 IMF via star-star lensing, 
2} possibly obtain the first evidence of Massive Compact Objects (MACHOs) 
in the halo of a galaxy other than our own, and 3} search for intracluster 
MACHOs.  The proposal completed nominally.

    1.5 Completed WF/PC-2 9107 (The Fundamental Plane for Nuclear Black Holes)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to conduct more in-depth searches for 
supermassive black holes in galaxy centers.  Previous work has led to the 
discoveries that {1} most or all hot galaxies contain massive dark objects 
at their centers, presumably black holes; {2} there is a remarkably tight 
correlation between the black-hole mass and the luminosity-weighted 
velocity dispersion of the hot component of the galaxy. T his mbh-Sigma 
relation has a scatter which is <0.3 dex in mbh and consistent with 
zero.  This relationship suggests a strong link between black-hole 
formation, AGN activity, and galaxy formation, and once it is understood 
this link should advance our understanding of all three processes.  The 
goal of this proposal is to investigate the scatter in the mbh-Sigma 
relation and the role of possible second parameters, by examining a sample 
of galaxies at fixed velocity dispersion Sigma=200+/- 20 kms.  This 
approach decouples the effects of a second parameter from uncertainties in 
the shape of the mbh-Sigma relation, and minimizes spurious correlations 
because all of the galaxies will be studied using the same well-tested 
observational and modeling techniques.  No anomalous activity occurred.

    1.6 Completed WF/PC-2 8816 (Cycle 9 UV Earthflats)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain sequences of Earth streak flats to 
improve the quality of pipeline flat fields for the WFPC2 UV filter set and 
in order to monitor flat field stability.  There were no reported problems.

    1.7 Completed WF/PC-2 9115 (The Evolution of Extreme Gas Rich Galaxies)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to observe a recently discovered sample of the 
closest known low surface brightness, very gas-rich dwarf galaxies outside 
of the Local Group.  These galaxies represent an extreme star formation 
environment, where the fuel for star formation appears plentiful, the local 
environment {the Centaurus A group of galaxies} provides opportunities for 
tidally-induced star formation, and yet star formation appears to be 
surpressed {by two orders of magnitude} compared to other `typical' 
galaxies.  The goal is to understand the star formation history in this 
puzzling environment of low stellar density and high gas content.  By 
resolving the underlying stellar component, the observer will obtain 
critical information on the mean metallicity and star formation history of 
these galaxies.

    1.8 Completed WF/PC-2 8601 (A Snapshot Survey of Probable Nearby Galaxies)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to continue the very successful snapshot 
survey in order to use the high spatial resolution of HST to determine 
whether selected galaxies are nearby on the basis of resolution into stars, 
and the magnitudes and colors of the brightest stars.  There were no 
reported problems.

    1.9 Completed WF/PC-2 9133 (Imaging of Gravitational Lenses)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to observe gravitational lenses that offer 
unique opportunities to study cosmology, galactic structure, galaxy 
evolution, quasar hosts and extinction.  They are also the only sample of 
galaxies selected on the basis of their mass rather than their luminosity 
or surface brightness.  While gravitational lenses can be discovered with 
ground-based optical and radio observatories, converting them from 
curiosities into scientific tools requires HST.  There were no reported 
anomalies.

    1.10 Completed WF/PC-2 9086 (Investigating the Formation History of 
Spiral Galaxy Halos)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations in order to constrain the 
origin of spiral galaxy halos by studying stellar populations near the tip 
of the red giant branch.  This will be the first systematic study of this 
population in external galaxies and will quadruple the sample of normal 
spiral galaxies for which the halo metallicity distribution function is 
measured.  This larger sample will permit study of the relationship between 
the bulge, disk, and halo components and between halos and globular 
systems.  Such correlations will in turn provide indications as to whether 
the halo, bulge, and globular cluster systems built up nearly 
simultaneously in the early universe or were accreted over time through 
different kinds of merging events.  The proposal completed nominally.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
       Scheduled Acquisitions:  7
Successful:  7

  Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 10
Successful: 10

    2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 18
Successful: 18

    2.3 Operations Notes:

        The STIS instrument remains in safe mode.

        The SSR EDAC error counter was cleared once, per ROP SR-1A.

        A 486 table dump was performed at 163/2038Z, using ROP DF-1A.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

/CAW